Britain’s extradition treaty with the United States faces fresh criticism
after it emerged a Kent golf society president faces decades in prison
accused of selling arms to Iran.

Christopher Tappin, 63, a retired businessman from Orpington, south-east London, is wanted by US authorities who say he sold surface-to-air missile batteries to Tehran.

The grandfather insists he is “completely innocent” and was unwittingly caught up in a US customs sting.

His case has been taken up by the solicitor representing Gary McKinnon, the Pentagon computer hacker fighting extradition to the US and whose case has been raised with President Obama by David Cameron.

Mr Tappin, who ran his own freight forwarding company for 35 years and is president of the Kent County Golf Union, thought he was legitimately exporting batteries from America to Holland in the 2006 deal.

He says he was assured the batteries were going to be used in the car industry.

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However, the client who first approached him about the transaction had already been arrested by US customs officials and was acting as a “co-operating defendant” in a sting to entrap those involved in exporting banned items to Iran.

Mr Tappin was arrested at his five-bedroom house three months ago and faces an court hearing in two weeks at which the US is seeking an order from Theresa May, the Home Secretary, to extradite him.

If found guilty in a trial in the US, Mr Tappin could be jailed for up to 35 years.

Jo Johnson, MP for Orpington brother of Boris Johnson, said: “By all accounts Mr Tappin is an upstanding member of Kent society and I am giving him the political support he needs.

“I haven’t seen all the details of the case but this does show how one-sided and imbalanced the extradition agreement can be.”

Mr Tappin has written to Dominic Grieve, the Attorney General, asking him to intervene.

"I am completely innocent and extremely aggrieved that the USA can be allowed to make such allegations which could result in the loss of my freedom,” he wrote.

Karen Todner, his solicitor, said: “Chris Tappin strongly denies these allegations and states that he was the victim of an American sting operation which was conducted in a thoroughly dishonest fashion.”